By Marcus Ikechukwu, Abuja
Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha has described one of the nation’s anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, as being too quick to effect arrests on suspects without thorough investigation.
Okorocha made the criticism in Abuja, while officially declaring his intentions to run for the office of president in 2023.
While fielding questions from reporters who asked how he hoped to clinch the All Progressive Congress Presidential ticket, when he was not on good terms with the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, he said, “as we are here talking now, if somebody goes to tell EFCC that they saw somebody coming to where Okorocha is declaring for President with some ghana must go bags, EFCC will come and pick you up and detain you without trying to find out if its true or not, then at the end of the day that person’s character would have been damaged”.
Unfortunately, few hours after Okorocha made the statements at the International Conference Centre, the EFCC reportedly approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to file a 17-count fraud charges against him.
In the charges, Okorocha is alleged to have embezzled N2.4 billion in public funds through connivance with some individuals and companies.
In a related vein, Okorocha said he and four other personalities in Nigeria owns the ruling All Progressive Congress, hence will not leave the party on account of sentiments.
He therefore urged the party leadership to uphold justice and fairness in determining where to zone the presidency.
According to him, the country as currently structured was built on a tripod of three major ethnic nationalities; Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba.
“It would be an injustice for the Yorubas and Hausa’s to come out to seek to contest for President.
What is today referred to as APC was formed by four of us, Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Ogbonaya Onu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change and my humble self Rochas Okorocha of the then All Progressives Grand Alliance, “he stated at the official declaration.